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Benjamin "BJ" Dennis IV is an American Gullah Geechee chef and caterer from Charleston, South Carolina who is known for preserving Gullah Geechee cooking and culture.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Additionally, he is also notable for his discovery of hill rice in December 2016 in Trinidad, which was thought to have been extinct.[1]

Biography

Dennis was born in West Ashley, South Carolina.[7][6][8] Dennis has two siblings.[5] Dennis started to learn about cooking from watching and helping his mother and grandparents.[5][9] He studied at the College of Charleston for one year.[5] He then transferred to Trident Technical College and got a job at Hyman's Seafood.[5] It was at Trident that Dennis changed his major to culinary arts.[5] He later worked as a cook for 82 Queen, Anson's, and Hank's Seafood.[5] In 2004, Dennis traveled to Saint Thomas to work as a cook.[5][9] In 2011, he became the opening chef at the Cocktail Club.[5] Dennis started a pop-up café in 2012 called "Butcher & Bee" in Charleston, South Carolina.[10]

On March 6, 2015, the Southern Foodways Alliance recorded Dennis' oral history focusing on his Gullah Geechee cooking and culture.[8] In December 2016, he made the discovery of hill rice growing in Trinidad, which was once thought to be extinct.[1]

In 2020, Dennis, Michael Twitty and others were featured in the 4th episode of Padma Lakshmi's show Taste the Nation with Padma Lashmi, which focused on Gullah cuisine.[11]

In 2021, Dennis was featured on Netflix's series High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.[5] One of Dennis' recipes was featured in the Bryant Terry's Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora [A Cookbook], which was also released in 2021.[12] That same year, Dennis temporarily moved to Bluffton to start his position as culinary director at the Lowcountry Fresh Market and Cafe.[2] In 2022, he moved back to Charleston.[2]

In an article published by The New York Times on May 9, 2022, Dennis is said to have encouraged Emily Meggett to write the "first high-profile book on Gullah Geechee cooking," which resulted in her publishing Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island.[13]

Dennis has also participated in Charleston Wine + Food event from 2020 to 2023.[7] The Charleston Wine + Food is a local 501(c )(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Charleston's culinary scene.[14] Dennis' 2022 Charleston Wine + Food event sold out within minutes.[5]

Career

While attending Trident, Dennis began working as a dishwasher at Hyman’s Seafood in Charleston; the experience convinced him to change his major to culinary arts. Over the next several years, he worked at a variety of different restaurants in Charleston, Savannah, St. Thomas, and West Africa.[15][16] Upon returning to the United States, he began hosting Gullah-Geechee pop-ups.[15][17]

In 2021, Dennis moved to Bluffton to serve as the culinary director at Lowcountry Fresh Market and Cafe,[18] then returned to Charleston to lead the food program at the International African American Museum.[19]

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dennis reviewed the manuscript of Emily Meggett's book on Gullah cuisine, at the request of Meggett's son. Soon after, a literary agent asked Dennis if he would be interested in writing a book; he said that the first book on Gullah cuisine should be Meggett's.[20] That book, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, was published by Abrams Books in 2022.[21] In 2022, Dennis and Nicole A. Taylor were collaborating on a book to be released through Penguin Random House.[15]

Dennis has also participated in the Charleston Wine + Food Festival.[22]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ a b c Severson, Kim (2018-02-13). "Finding a Lost Strain of Rice, and Clues to Slave Cooking". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  2. ^ a b c Perkins, Erin (2021-08-13). "Gullah Geechee Chef BJ Dennis Returns to Charleston". Eater Carolinas. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  3. ^ Griner, Allison. "The Gullah Geechee's fight against 'cultural genocide'". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  4. ^ Taylor, Nicole (2016-09-22). "These Chefs and Farmers are Preserving Gullah Food Culture". Civil Eats. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Michelle, Trelani (February 2022). "Chef Benjamin Dennis continues his journey in understanding, preserving, and uplifting Gullah culture through food | Charleston Magazine". CHARLESTON SC |. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  6. ^ a b "Amir Touré, BJ Dennis, and Sallie Ann Robinson: The Torchbearers". Garden & Gun. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  7. ^ a b "BJ Dennis". Charleston Wine + Food. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  8. ^ a b "BJ Dennis | Southern Foodways Alliance - Southern Foodways Alliance". 2015-09-15. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  9. ^ a b "BJ Dennis | studysc". www.studysc.org. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  10. ^ "People Say Gullah Geechee Culture Is Disappearing. BJ Dennis Says They're Wrong". Bon Appétit. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  11. ^ Milner, Parker (2020-06-16). "Padma Lakshmi explores Gullah Geechee cuisine in her new show Taste the Nation, debuting this week". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  12. ^ Terry, Bryant, ed. (19 October 2021). Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora [A Cookbook]. ISBN 1984859722.
  13. ^ Severson, Kim (2022-05-09). "A Cook Who Never Used a Cookbook Now Has Her Own". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  14. ^ "Our Story". Charleston Wine + Food. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Chef Benjamin Dennis continues his journey in understanding, preserving, and uplifting Gullah culture through food". Charleston Magazine. 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  16. ^ Palate, Local (2022-09-21). "BJ Dennis: The Gullah Griot". The Local Palate. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  17. ^ a b Cadigan, Hilary (2019-08-14). "People Say Gullah Geechee Culture Is Disappearing. BJ Dennis Says They're Wrong". Bon Appétit. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  18. ^ Perkins, Erin (2021-08-13). "Gullah Geechee Chef BJ Dennis Returns to Charleston". Eater Carolinas. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  19. ^ Pardue, Doug (2021-08-11). "Chef BJ Dennis creating menu for International African American Museum's cafe". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  20. ^ Morales, Christina (2023-04-26). "Emily Meggett, Matriarch of Gullah Geechee Cuisine, Is Dead at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  21. ^ Meggett, Emily. Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island. ISBN 978-1-4197-5878-2.
  22. ^ "BJ Dennis". Charleston Wine + Food. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  23. ^ a b "B.J. Dennis". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Dennis_IV